out and about: hidden craft
Out of all the simple pleasures in life… one of my most favorites is hanging out with friends and family, over good food and fun drinks. And ya know jamie… boy loves his beer, so when we can find a spot that has good beer choices, and good food… and we can bring our friends along… we’re doing it.
One of the new spots we tried, was hidden craft in downtown san diego… located right at the trolley stop on broadway (can you guess where we will be before (and after) the next padre game? It’s one of the few craft beer spots, that features rotating local taps, with a self-serve, pay by the ounce options. Like genius.
You know your girl loves a flight… and a taster. And being able to decide how many ounces I can get… with make yourself flights. It’s a win-win for me.
And can I just say… if you’ve got beer and yummy food… it’s an even bigger win.
united ipa: new england hazy, pure project brewing
south bay ipa: new england hazy, resident brewing company
castlevania ipa: west coast, black plague brewing
highway 79: wet hopped ipa, nickel beer company
Jamie started with a flight of ipa’s. Obviously.
He liked the united, but wished it was colder (my fault… camera drinks first). He found it interesting that it had zero aftertaste, zero finish… and was just a straight through great ipa.
Please forgive me, but the best way he found to discribe the south bay was a little more juicy of a hazy, thick, creamy, and moist. He also love this one.
The castlevania hit the goldilocks zone. Definitely a west coast ipa, and he felt like there was a hint of pine on the finish. This was his choice for additional glasses.
Of course at this point, he jinxed himself by saying he loved and would drink any of these ipa’s again, and who gets a flight of new beers where they love everyone of them. Naturally he should have waited until he tried the highway 79, which of course was his least favorite. There was definitely a hint of honey on this one, which is probably why.
kamakura: lager - japanese rice, ketch brewing
Our good friend jeremy tagged along with us, because, hello? Pour and choose your own beer.
He eschewed a flight, and went straight for the rice lager, which has a lower abv than other beers, and therefore you can drink more. Smart boy.
He found it to be a perfect, mellow beer. Similar in a way to a session. It was definitely worth having more than one glass.
cocktail on tap
in my darkest sour: black plague
strawberry kiwi: hard kombucha, june shine
isle of sin: cider, ballast point
I really wanted to try a cocktail on tap - see how it was. And while the neon color made me think I was being served a drink from Avatar, and was a fun touch, it was just a tad too sweet for my taste.
The sour was my fav out of the bunch. I mean, we already know I love sours, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. But this was the epitome of a classic, perfect sour. The flavor profile reminded me of sparkling apple cranberry juice, minus the sparkle.
The kombucha was just meh for me. It just wasn’t very flavor forward and more watery.
I really enjoyed the cider. It wasn’t too sweet, which i was thankful for. It reminded me of a rose apple cider. Definitely would have again.
braised brisket poutine: montreal world famous brisket poutine dish with cheese & parsley served over french fries
We started with the poutine. ‘Cause your girl loves a poutine. And brisket. And cheese. And fries. Etc. etc.
Pro tip: as long as everyone is on board, pour that gravy all over the fries. I appreciate it being on the side so the fries don’t get soggy, and so you can dip or not, but seriously, the genius play was made when we poured it all over.
crispy brussels sprouts: crispy brussels sprouts, beer glazed bacon, blue cheese, pears, and balsamic reduction
We elected to order ours without blue cheese, which not being a huge fan, was definitely the move.
I feel like without the heaviness of a blue, the other ingredients really shined. The brussels were perfectly cooked, not mushy, and just the right amount of crisp.
The balsamic was perfect with the pears - and addition to brussels that has never crossed my mind, but now has and will remain there until I work it out as my own recipe.
Also loved the beer braised bacon - the extra umami was a great touch.
pier beer: pilsner, pizza port brewing company
After a few japanese lagers, jeremy elected to try the pilsner. Which was not his fav. He liked it, but liked the lager better.
rose
Not gonna lie, I was both intrigued and slightly concerned that there was rose on tap… but, I’ve got to tell y’all. This was one delish rose. I may have liked it so much I had a second glass.
bbq kale salad: kale, fresh corn, radish, jicama, cherry tomatoes, black beans, jack cheese, cilantro, green onions, tortilla chips, and served with ranch dressing and bbq sauce
add on: avocado, grilled chicken, sauteed shrimp, honey lemon glazed salmon, or tofu
This salad was on special, and it was definitely worth it. We went with the avocado addition just for kicks. And I highly recommend. It adds another layer of creaminess.
cali craft taco trio: braised beef / korean chicken bbq / baja shrimp (fresh housemade corn tortilla)
Do not sleep on the tacos. Like seriously, if you get nothing else, get the tacos. They were each delish in their own way, and can we take a moment to talk about the corn tortillas?
I’m not a huge fan of corn tortillas… but I could eat these every day of the week. So yummy.
The braised beef taco, was basically the poutine beef and cheese, with the gravy, and the addition of guacamole. We had a little battle of the brisket between the taco and the poutine. I prefered the poutine, jamie the taco, and jeremy abstained.
The shrimp taco was on the spicier side, which made the addition of the pickled onions a perfect balance. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, not slimy, not mushy, and super flavorful. This was my fav.
The chicken taco was fantastic. It was not however korean bbq. It was your classic chicken taco topped with pico de gallo and creama. And by classic I by no means mean basic… it was just everything you want and imagine when you think about having the quintessential chicken taco. This was jamie’s favorite of the three.
If you like beer and good food, then don’t sleep on this one. It’s an easy hop on the trolley to downtown away… which is even more appropriate for a day of drinking and eating, whether or not a padre game is happening.